Why do some people look behind them both ways after unloading their gun at a target? Is it that they are training themselves to look for a perp coming from behind? if that the case it makes no sense when they have no rounds left in their gun. I don't know why they do it but it sure looks dumb..... I don't see everyone do it, just some. take a look at this guy doing if you don't what I'm talking about... skip to about 1:10 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0HkjXpQBxc

It's standard training procedure, both for safety and tactically, whether the gun is being reloaded or not.
You just never know what might be behind you unless you look.
Always a good idea with a weapon in the hand.
The reverse Weaver stance, being shown in the linked video, is worth a look, too.
Where the off hand arm is straight and the strong side arm is bent.
Kind of like for rifles.

Practice confirming that there are no other threats and that you are safe to re-holster. Situational awareness. Builds a good habit so that you will do it instinctively in a SD scenario.

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Why do some people look behind them both ways after unloading their gun at a target?

Judging from the fact that he only fired 6 shots and his slide didn't lock back, I would guess that his gun WASN'T unloaded.

If it was a real situation and you had just fired 6 shots at someone, what would you consider appropriate? Stand there without looking and hope his buddies weren't coming at you from one side or the other?

As others have stated, it's a standard technique taught in any basic self-defense handgun class. Training like you will fight has been proven to be effective for many years.

Judging from the fact that he only fired 6 shots and his slide didn't lock back, I would guess that his gun WASN'T unloaded.

Much more than a guess - I would bet the rent on it.

Checking around you for second assailants (or more) is widely taught, if not universally. The alternative is to be oblivious of other threats. Do you have to do it at the range? Well, no, but the range is where you develop habits.

Noted firearms/training guru Massad Ayoob recounted an incident in which a man was forced to defend himself, in public, with his defensive pistol. He prevailed, and immediately after the shooting, he scanned left and right; seeing no further threats, he holstered his weapon. He was then shot, and killed, FROM BEHIND, by his now-deceased opponent's friend. So, the practice of a total 360 scan after firing would certainly seem to have it's merits.

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if that the case it makes no sense when they have no rounds left in their gun.

It makes no sense that you would assume that the shooter's gun was empty!

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I think that one of the notions common to the anti-gunner is the idea that being a victim is 'noble'; as if it is better to be noble in your suffering than disruptive in your own defense.

We did a force-on-force scenario based on an actual robbery. A jewelry store owner had been robbed on his way to his car. The owner shot his assailant dead with no problem. A second unseen assailant smashed the owner's head in with a bat and made off with the gun, car and money.

During the scenario, I watched a lot of my fellow classmates suffer the same fate.

if that the case it makes no sense when they have no rounds left in their gun.

I didn't see the slide lock back...I'm guessing he still had plenty of ammo left. Even if he was out of ammo completely, don't you think it would be a good idea to be situationally aware and be able to react to any additional threats?

This is something I should start doing. Hate to have to look all tacticool. Will have to swallow my pride and know its the smart thing to do. I will look like "that" guy, but hey, if it keeps me alive...

I've only seen one guy do it at an indoor range. I admit it looked a bit silly to me, but I knew what he was doing. He also did that move where he pulled the gun close to his body before looking both ways.

I suppose it becomes a state of mind, similar to how we never point a gun at anything we don't want to destroy. Nor do we break the other three rules. If I'm talking to my kids about a gun, and hold a pencil pretending it's a gun, I don't point it at them. They think it's silly too, but in my mind it's a gun. I try to ingrain that in their heads too.

I might start doing the lookback move too, but just at home for now.

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Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable."
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If you practice this way, then if you need to use your training someday in a real life and death situation, then you will fall back on how you practice and train. In the real situation, it is a very real possibility that there is more than one threat out there. If you do not practice and train this way, then after you take out the threat that is first noticed by you, and immediately stand down, the second threat will come up on your blind side and take you out. It is about always being aware of your surroundings.

He also did that move where he pulled the gun close to his body before looking both ways.

If someone were to blindside you, or try to tackle or grapple with you, it's far easier to retain your gun if its close to your body. I do this all the time. Why? Because its a good idea and it'll help keep me alive. Who cares of if I look silly? Take a defensive handgun class. You'll learn all that stuff and more. It's worth more than the amount of ammo you could buy with the entry fee.

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